Authors

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2011

Publication Title

American Review of Politics

Volume

32

Issue

Winter

Pages

281-299

Abstract

This paper is a state comparative analysis of the determinants of a state's policies towards reproductive healthcare. While much of the literature focuses solely on abortion, our analysis employs a more comprehensive measure of access to reproductive healthcare. Three explanations -- religious, socioeconomic, and political -- are tested to see which has the most significant impact on a state's likeliness to enact restrictive policies towards reproductive healthcare. We find that the political model is the best predictor of the level of state restrictiveness, and that the percent of women in the legislature is the most powerful variable. Combining the most significant variables from the three previous models into a single model, we find that the percent of women in the legislature, per capita income, and Democratic party control of the state House are the most influential predictors of variation in state restrictiveness towards abortion and reproductive healthcare policies. Lastly, we suggest several avenues for future research.